Californails #NailArtMay Day 7- Neon

So I'm a day late posting yesterday's Californails nail art may challenge. Day 7 was Neon :) I decided to use Serum No. 5's Dayglow. Dayglow is a pastel yellow that has a fierce glow in the dark effect. *Swatch info: three coats w/top coat*. To make this polish glow, I held my hand in front of my desk lamp for 30 seconds then turned the lights out. This had such a strong glow that it was glowing even before I turned out the light.

Californails #NailArtMay Day 4- Star Wars

So today is the next Californails Challenge, Star Wars! I'm sure some of you will gasp or giggle, but I'm definitely not a Star Wars fan. There ya go, I said it. So naturally, I had no idea what to paint. I decided to use the cutepolish tutorial for Stormtroopers :) I like how they turned out although I probably won't keep them on long.

I used China Glaze's White on White for the base, and a black Striper for the design :)

This one was my favorite :)

Don't forget to follow on ig @phophelia to see more pictures :)

Californails #NailArtMay Challenge

Hey guys!! I've decided to blog my second month doing the (instagram) @californails nail art monthly challenge. I did it last month for the first time and had a blast keeping up with the challenges, so this month I'm sharing it here as well as my instagram (@phophelia).

So, with today being May 1st, I've got some flowers to show ya :)

For these flowers, 

1. I started with a nice even base of Orly Dayglow and did a saran wrap with OPI Glints of Glinda for a little bit of texture. 

2. For the flowers, I used Essie Forever Yummy and Lime Crime  Parfait Day. I dipped a small tip art brush in the polish then in acetone to give a watercolor effect to my strokes

3. I used a nameless green striper for the leaves as well as a nameless black striper for the dots/squiggles in the center.

4. Wait for these to dry before applying or it will be streaky :(. I used two coats of CND Super Shiney.

I am absolutely loving these flowers and will probably leave them on until the next challenge day. *haha yeah right*

Zoya Stunning Collection

I'm back already!! With Zoya's Stunning collection :) This is a collection of bright summery creams. Four of these creams have a subtle shimmer to them that gives them a dewey look.


Darcy is a bright sunflower yellow cream with subtle shimmer. This polish was a pain to apply. This is FOUR *yes four* coats with top coat. It was extremely streaky and hard to get an even coverage. The color is absolutely gorgeous if you have the patience for this polish.

Thandie is a tangerine orange shimmer. Like I said above, the shimmer is SUUUUPER subtle and hard to capture on camera. This is two coats with top coat. *much easier to apply than Darcy*

Micky is a light coral toned pink with the subtle shimmer mentioned above. This is one of my FAVORITES from this collection :). This is two coats with top coat.

Yana is a darker pink very similar to Micky. This also has a very subtle shimmer, and applied evenly with two coats & top coat.

Rocky is a dark sky blue cream with no shimmer. This went on super smooth with no patches in two coats. *picture shows two coats with top coat*

Josie is a grassy green cream *no shimmer* that went on super smooth like Rocky. This is two coats with top coat.

Overall this collection has gorgeous summery colors with only a few application issues. You can purchase this awesome collection HERE!

Zoya Irresistible Collection

I'm on a blogging roll!! Today I've got Zoya's Irresistible Collection to show you :) These are all super amazing colors, and I must say I love them ALL! This is a collection of foils, but with a twist- metallic FLAKES! *Think Ziv from the Ornate Collection* The formula for these was the same for all six polishes, went on perfectly smooth with two coats. I will say that these are a pain in the rear to remove without getting glittery shimmer EVERYWHERE. If you hate removing these types, I'd suggest a glue or peel off base coat. Enough talk, let's get to the polish!!:)

Kerry is a gold shimmer with bright gold flakes. This polish is a yellow gold version of Ziv, and I love it just as much :) I must also add, that none of these needed topcoat to be super shiny and sparkling.

Amy is a sunset orange foil with gold flakes. This color almost glows with warmth.

Tinsley is a red toned pink foil with gold flakes. This was probably my least favorite, only because it blended way too well with my skin tone.

Bobbi is a darker pink than Tinsley, and has a stronger foil effect and less flakes. I am definitely in love with this color.

Hazel is a green toned blue foil with gold flakes. This formula is the same as Bobbi *stronger foil effect less flakes*

Rikki is a green foil with gold flakes. In the above five polishes, the foil tone is silver, in this one- it's more of a gold toned foil.

Overall, I LOVE these colors, and the foil + flake gives so much dimension. I'm super glad Zoya built these colors after such a huge success with Ziv *Ornate Collection*. You can purchase these HERE!

Cult Nails In The Garden Collection Swatches

I'm on a blogging roll this week! Today I have Cult Nails In the Garden collection to show you. This collection consists of three matte/wax finish polishes and two super shiny ones. First off I must say that I LOVE the silly names on these -and Maria's story behind the names. All of these polishes are unique and perfect in formula.

Morning Glory: Morning Glory is a purple-pink *more on the pink side* matte/wax finish polish. This went on smoothly with two coats. This polish can actually be worn with ONE coat and no streaks/spots. I probably need a gallon of this polish, that's how amazing this color is.

w/o top coat

w/ top coat

 Let's Get Dirty: Let's Get Dirty is a lavender toned nude matte/wax finish polish with the most gorgeous shimmer in it. The formula was the same as Morning Glory and it's a close second on my favorites for the collection. This is two thin coats.

w/o top coat

w/ top coat

 Kiss My Rose Bush: Kiss My Rose Bush is a rosy pink matte/wax finish polish. This one was a tiny bit harder in application, and for photogenic reasons, I used three thin coats.

w/o top coat

w/ top coat

 Ay Poppy!: Ay Poppy! is a traffic cone orange polish. This is so bright and wonderful that even my DSLR had issues getting it's true color. This is two coats with NO top coat. This is so glossy it makes me want to cry with happiness :)

two coats- NO top coat

 You're My Dandy Lion: You're My Dandy Lion is a soft but bright yellow. This is two even coats with no top coat. This is a glossy polish compared to most brands, but not quite as glossy as Ay Poppy!

two coats- No top coat

Overall, I absolutely LOVE this collection. Maria hit the nail right on the head with this one and I love it. It's definitely different from what most brands are coming out with, but it's perfect. My top two from this collection are definitely Morning Glory and Let's Get Dirty. You can purchase these polishes HERE!

Zoya Pixie Dust Summer Edition

Today I'm excited to share Zoya's new summer edition Pixie Dust polishes. I was super impressed with the first six of these and excited that they continued with another set of them. These are all SUPER bright, vibrant colors and jam packed with sparkle. Instead of sounding redundant, these all went on evenly with two coats, and look GORGEOUS with or without top coat.

Quick swatches of all six 

L to R: Solange, Beatrix, Destiny, Miranda, Stevie, & Liberty

Solange:

Matte

W/ top coat

Beatrix:

Matte

W/ top coat

Destiny:

Matte

W/ top coat

 Miranda:

Matte

W/ top coat

Stevie:

Matte

W/ top coat

 Liberty:

Matte

W/ top coat

It's super hard to choose a favorite of these, but if I HAD to pick, it would be a tie between Liberty and Solange.  You can purchase these HERE :)